red string of fate
by Tibby Rose
Summary: The thought of untying that knot seems crazy. It has no end, and people never notice it. It's just a never ending piece of red string that only Robin sees. And for the most part, she's cool with it.


**a/n: oh my god what am i doing**

Robin has always known about the red string of course. It's always been around her left pinky, a red piece of yarn looped around her littlest finger. Over the years it's grown slightly grubby, but she's never considered taking it off. The thought of untying that knot seems crazy. It has no end, and people never notice it. It's just a never ending piece of red string that only Robin sees. And for the most part, she's cool with it.

But she doesn't understand it. How can a piece of string-an entire piece of string with no end be on her pinky 24/7, and no one notices? Not everything in Robin's life has always made sense-but the string thing is the worst. She asks both her parents about it, but neither give her an answer. And it drives her insane.

The first time Robin notices the red string on someone else, she's at her fifth mall on her Robin Sparkles tour. She's halfway through _Let's Go To The Mall_, when she spots a guy and girl watching her, hand in hand. She spots a piece of string, similar to hers, around each of their pinkies. Later on, she considers going over and asking them what it's about, when she notices that one end is tied around the left pinky of each.

When Robin moves to New York, it's the first time that she's ever been a part of a proper group. It's different, but it feels nice. She likes Ted and his 'I Say I Love You On The First Date Ways'. She likes Barney and his womanizing ways (which is not something she's proud of.) She likes Lily and Marshall (because saying Lily and Marshall separate seems ridiculous) and their couple way of life.

It's also with them that she notices the red string. The same red string that's on her own pinky, the one that tied those two people at her show together, is tied around the pinkies of Marshall and Lily. It's not the same string as her own, of course, but they have the same piece of string as each other.

Over the years, Robin attends a lot of weddings. She meets a lot of people, meets a lot of couples. Of course, the way Robin sees it, the amount of weddings she goes to and couples she meets equals a lot of Lily and Marshalls. Not that it's bad. Because as much as Robin dislikes relationships, she doesn't hate other people being in them. But that's not the point. Because nearly every couple she's met has had the same thing going on as that couple at her show did, as Marshall and Lily have.

And it's then when she realizes what the string is for.

But she needs to confirm it before she makes ridiculous assumptions, because she doesn't want to look like an idiot. Even to herself.

"Hey" she begins, because going _Did you know string makes you soulmates?_ is pulling a Ted. And Robin isn't a female ted "Have you guys ever noticed this red yarn?"

"The red yarn!" Lily gushes, because it's Lily, and that's what Lily does "Where's your other end?"

"The red string? Is that some weird, scavenger hunt thing?" Barney scoffs, and Robin begins the five second countdown "Because if it is, count me in."

"No" Lily shakes her head "The red string of fate is a Chinese legend. According to the story-"

"Pssh, you guys are actually believe that stuff?" Barney snorts "Lame."

"What, so you don't believe in it?" Marshall looks mortally offended, and Robin fights back the urge to laugh "You don't believe in anything."

"Wrong" Barney retorts "I believe in my awesomeoness."

And that's that.

It continues to bother Robin, though, so she asks everyone she knows about it. She'd search it too, but Barney would somehow discover her internet history and make a big deal out of it. And it's funny when he's doing it to Ted, but then again, everything he does to Ted is funny.

When she hears the story and her suspicions are confirmed, she considers telling Ted that he should just link pinkies with every girl he meets to see if he finds his match. He'd do it too, but Robin knows Ted believes in fate, and she doesn't want to interfere with his destiny of finding the one. And he'd probably get them kicked out of the bar too.

So she forgets about it. Robin doesn't think she'll find her partner anyway. She doesn't have one, no matter what the legend says. So she forgets about it and moves on.

Until a few months later.

She'd been out drinking with the gang, and Lily and Marshall left to go "Go to bed early" which Robin knows translates to "Have sex in their new apartment." Ted's found a new girl called Dawn and they left to "Go to bed early" too. So it's just her and Barney left.

"Hey" he grins "You know that totally lame story Marshall and Lily told us a few months ago?"

Robin pauses for a moment as she thinks about it. When she finally figures it out, she wonders why on Earth is Barney Stinson talking to her about ancient legends about pieces of string that ties people together? "Yeah, why?"

"I was just wondering how lame it is" Barney shrugs, taking a sip of his drink and Robin knows that it's his sign of nervousness.

"It's nothing" she shrugs, because it's not. She's never going to find the other end of her string, plain and simple.

"Scherbatsky, I need to know so I can use it against Ted" Barney argues, and Robin sighs, because she knows she's not going to win this argument.

So she tells him. And she watches Barney's face change, and for the first time ever, he doesn't make any remarks about how lame it is. When she's finished, he shrugs and says that maybe Ted made up that story, because that's such a Ted thing to say.

"Guess what we're gonna do" he says "We're going to secretly tie one end of a piece of string to Ted's pinky finger, and tie the other end to Marshall's finger."

"And how do you expect to do that?"

"We do it when they're sleeping" Barney says seriously "That way, they'll never have proof that we did it."

Usually, Robin would argue, but she can sense Barney's not his usual self, so she doesn't force it on him. It's strange though. She likes hanging out with Barney because he's well, Barney. And when he's not acting like Barney, it doesn't feel right.

"So, pinky promise that you won't tell anyone our plan?" Barney asks an hour later.

Robin raises an eyebrow "Do bros pinky promise?"

"Duh."

So she does it, because she's feeling a tug on her pinky. She's been feeling it for a while now, but it's never been as strong as it is now. She should've asked Lily about it, but she didn't want a lecture. Besides, it's probably some stupid thing about how magnets are in everyone's fingers and they connect people. And Robin would probably laugh at that, and Lily and Marshall would scold her. It's not like she wants a Lily and Marshall scolding.

And when she looks at the 'bro pinky promise' she notices that her piece of string has grown considerably shorter. Or, rather, it's tied around Barney's finger.

"So, that story was really lame, right?" Barney asks, eyeing their fingers.

"Yeah" Robin nods "Totally."


End file.
